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7th Graders completed their Europe World Fair last week. Check out all the amazing projects, below! Also, save the date for our 2016 Villa Academy World Expo in the Rainbow Theater, on June 7 from 9:00 am to 10:10 am.

7th Graders completed their first World Fair cycle today! The projects demonstrated learning in a variety of ways: they were creative, colorful, and insightful. Please scroll down for photos!

We debriefed in class today, both the World Fair process and the World Fair products. Many students noted that they took risks in this process, which paid off in terms of confidence, fun, and learning. Students remarked that they enjoyed what they learned about their conflicts, their research and writing processes, their time management, and their ability to plan for a large project. Noted areas of growth include using class time well, asking for help, and communicating with parents about needed materials.

Here are upcoming due dates for Africa’s World Fair project:

Map Quiz: November 13, 2015

Research topic and questions: November 18, 2015

Notes: December 3, 2015

Comprehension Check: December 3, 2015

Outline: December 15, 2015

Rough Draft: January 6, 2016

Final Draft and Project: January 12, 2016

We will begin our Africa literature circles next week. Students will choose from our list of titles this Thursday (November 12). Students may choose from the following list, but they may also choose an individual title with Ms. Strand in the library.

In World Geography, students have reviewed the Five Themes of Geography. We’ll spend the year investigating the world through the lens of this framework. Our focus is on becoming geographers as we learn about global cultures and conflict. To wrap up our unit on the Five Themes, students worked in groups to create a poster for each theme. Then the worked individually to craft beautiful mobiles that decorate our ceilings. Click to enlarge the pics below.

World Fair Starts! On Thursday, Ms. Rez and Ms. Brooks introduced the students to the World Fair. We reviewed the purpose and learning objectives, so that students understand that by choosing a topic and directing their own learning, they are more likely to invest, engage, and produce. Students may choose any topic of interest focused on a country or specific place in the continent we are studying (currently, Latin America). Topics must have an inherent conflict, but students needn’t worry; Ms. Brooks and Ms. Brooks can help them make just about any topic work. Students received their World Fair planning packets on Thursday, which will help guide them through the process and provide specific benchmarks and due dates.

In English, we’ve been reading Queen of Water, by Virginia Faranango. It’s her true story about growing up as an indigenous girl in Ecuador. Ask your son or daughter about Virginia’s story!

We’ve also been writing. Our focus in October is characterization, and the way authors create round characters through the characters’ words, actions, and relationships with other characters. We’ve analyzed several characters in Queen of Water, and students have used magazine pictures as inspiration to create their own characters. Next week, students will write a Halloween-themed story using their magazine character as the protagonist. Stay tuned!